"Nobody can be a true hero unless he has been on the Great Wall" goes the popular Chinese saying, one that clearly demonstrates the importance placed upon this unique ancient monument.
The magnificent Great Wall of China - known in Chinese as 'Changcheng', or the 'Long Wall' - stretches more than 6,000 kilometers from the fortresses of Shanhaiguan in the east all the way to Jiayuguan in the west, passing through Hebei, Tientsin, Beijing – where the best-preserved sections of the wall can be visited – Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Gansu.
Averaging six to eight meters in height but rising as high as 16 meters – and wide enough in places for five horses or 10 men to pass – the wall boasts numerous battlements and watchtowers. Some of the wall's oldest fortifications date back as far as the 7th century BC, with the best-known areas added around 210 BC when its various sections were joined together.
Today, the most visited section of the wall is near Badaling Pass northwest of Beijing, easily reached by public transport or organized tours. Other restored sections worth a visit include the section near Gubeikou, 130 kilometers from Beijing; and in Mutianyu, just 70 kilometers northeast of Beijing.